Her Cowboy Till Christmas

“Sure. Talk to you later.”

He got up and poured himself a glass of water. Gabby was right. He needed to pray. Between juggling single fatherhood and managing his ranch, he was full up on problems. This fall he’d had to make tough decisions about his cattle herd. The payment plan for Mia’s medical bills didn’t allow any wiggle room in his budget. Until he paid them off, he needed the ranch to bring in more income than it currently was.

And now this...

Maybe his tattered baby book would have some answers. Or the boxes of old photos in the attic might hold some clues.

One thing was certain—whatever he decided to do about Ryder, he’d be doing on his own. As far as he was concerned, he’d had enough of Brittany Green for another ten years.

Chapter Two (#u8af6b2d2-9db1-5cd0-b040-8f261759659b)

Rendezvous was a middle-of-nowhere town where dreams died. That’s what her mother had always told her, anyway.

The next morning, Brittany slipped her feet into fuzzy slippers and padded into Nan’s kitchen for a cup of coffee.

Rendezvous hadn’t always been the dream killer her mother claimed. Until Brittany graduated high school, it had been more like a welcoming hug—a place to catch her breath each summer. But she couldn’t deny her mom’s words. One of her dreams had died here a decade ago. And the others had no shot at coming true in these parts. A small town in Wyoming wasn’t the place to put together an elite competitive dance team, that was for sure.

California had been the right choice ten years ago.

The kitchen window revealed a pastel glow in the early dawn sky. After scooping grounds into a coffee filter, she filled the carafe with water and pressed the On button. Nan wasn’t up yet. Strange. Her grandmother had always been an early riser. She must be more tired than usual.

Brittany had rearranged her schedule to spend two weeks here—just until after Christmas. It had been a long time since she’d been back. A year at least. Maybe two.

Had it been three years since she’d visited?

She listened for sounds of her grandmother. Silence. Maybe she should check on her.

She peeked into the bedroom where Nan slept peacefully. She looked...older, smaller than Brittany remembered. When had Nan gotten so frail?

Brittany used to call her every Sunday, but Nan’s hearing wasn’t the greatest, so she’d been skipping the calls to write letters instead.

She shouldn’t have stayed away so long.

After closing the door carefully, she padded back to the living room. Gurgles from the coffee maker told her it wasn’t finished brewing. Wrapping a blanket around her shoulders, she ticked through a mental list to make sure she hadn’t forgotten anything back home.

It had been hard to juggle her schedule and finances to make this trip. For as long as she could remember, she’d been working three jobs. Besides the diner gig and freelance data entry work, she rented rehearsal space in an established studio to teach classes. The arrangement didn’t allow her to hire more teachers, expand her class offerings or put together a competitive dance team, though. So far all but one bank had turned down her application for a line of credit to open a studio in Santa Ana’s expensive market. She’d be hearing from them soon.

A window overlooked the porch of Nan’s weathered one-story house. Jagged reddish mountains with thin, horizontal white stripes jutted in the distance. The snow-covered prairie seemed to whisper, and clumps of bare trees dotted it here and there.

This land was quiet, unforgiving—and breathtaking.

Like Mason.

She’d fallen hard for him as a teen. Actually, she’d had a crush on him for years. Not surprising, since they’d been inseparable every summer.

The minute she’d arrived in Rendezvous after graduating from high school, she knew something had changed in their relationship. The glint in Mason’s eyes had set her heart pounding wildly. A sweet kiss had sealed it. The rest of the summer had been spent holding hands, hiking, hanging out, laughing and talking.

And the longer it went on, the guiltier she’d felt.

No one had known she had a boyfriend back home. For months she’d been hoping Parker would take the hint and end things with her, but he wasn’t a take-the-hint kind of guy. She should have broken up with him before coming to Rendezvous.

Why hadn’t she?

Because Mom had actually approved of him, and her mother never thought much of anything Brittany did.

Ancient history. She tossed the blanket off her shoulders. What was taking the coffee maker so long? And why was she thinking about that summer, anyhow? She must be in caffeine withdrawal.

But the memories kept coming. The final night here was seared in her memory like a scarlet A. On Nan’s front porch, Mason had asked her to stay in Wyoming instead of going back to California. She’d stood there in silence trying to figure out how to explain. She was going to become a professional dancer. He knew she’d already been accepted into UCLA’s dance program. How could she do those things in Rendezvous?

Then disaster had rolled up in a Porsche. Her boyfriend, Parker, sick of her avoiding his calls, had shown up at the worst possible time. Mason’s face had said it all. He’d looked her in the eye and told her he never wanted to see her again. She’d never been so ashamed in her life. And she’d unintentionally made good on his wishes until yesterday.

The coffee maker rumbled. Finally. She returned to the kitchen, grabbed her favorite mug and poured herself a cup of joe, focusing on the good memories. Endless hours with Nan. Hugs and bedtime prayers. Failed summer reading plans and successful baking sessions. Feeling loved and cherished by her grandmother.

It really was good to be back.

Footsteps made her turn. Nan smiled, holding out her arms for a hug. Brittany embraced her, noting how thin her body was under the cotton nightgown and robe. “How did you sleep?”

“Good. It’s wonderful to wake up to your smiling face.”

“Want a cup of coffee?” Brittany turned to the counter.

“Yes, lots of sugar. Lots of cream.”

“You got it.” She found a container of store-bought pastries and put them and some chocolate chip cookies on a plate. Then she poured Nan a cup of coffee and settled in with her at the table.

“I’m sorry it’s been so long since I’ve visited.” She reached over and covered Nan’s hand with her own. Her bony fingers felt fragile.

“Oh, honey, you’re busy.” Nan patted her hand. “No need to apologize. I would have come to California for Christmas, but I...” A lost expression flitted through her eyes.

Nan used to come visit for Christmas, but it had been a few years. Her vibrant grandmother was fading. How had she not picked up on it before?

“I’ve always wanted to spend Christmas here with all the snow.” She just never could get the time off in the past.

“Plenty of snow here.” Nan took a sip. “Did you try out for the dance team?”

Try out? She drew her eyebrows together. “Nan, I did try out in college, and I made the Spirit Squad my sophomore year. Don’t you remember?”

A flicker of concern crossed Nan’s face. “Oh, that’s right. I remember you saying something about a dance team. I get my dates mixed up sometimes.” She pushed the plate Brittany’s way. “Cookie?”

“Yes, please.” She selected one bursting with chocolate chips and bit into it. Mmm...

“Mason and Noah bring these every week. Have you seen the baby yet? He’s a darling child.”

“No, I haven’t.” The cookie suddenly tasted like ashes.

“And what about you?” Nan asked. “Are you thinking of marrying the banker?”

Banker? What banker? She couldn’t mean Charles, could she? “Charles and I broke up a long time ago.” Four years, if memory served her right.